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Ron Woods shared incredibly valuable insights gained during his 28 years at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) packaging Flight Crew Equipment for shuttle and ISS missions. In particular, Woods shared anecdotes and photos from various processing events. The moral of these stories and the main focus of this discussion were the additional processing efforts and effects related to a "ship‐and‐shoot" philosophy toward flight hardware.
To gain a more complete observational understanding of atmospheric rivers (ARs) over the data-sparse open ocean, we used a diverse suite of mobile observing platforms deployed on NOAAs Ronald H. Brown (RHB) research vessel and G-IV research aircraft during the CalWater-2015 field campaign to describe the structure and evolution of a long-lived AR modulated by six frontal waves over the northeastern Pacific on 20-25 January 2015. Satellite observations and reanalysis diagnostics provided synoptic-scale context, illustrating the warm, moist southwesterly airstream within the quasi-stationary AR situated between an upper-level trough and ridge. The AR remained offshore of the U.S. West Coast but made landfall across British Columbia where heavy precipitation fell. Forty-seven rawinsondes launched from the RHB provided a comprehensive thermodynamic and kinematic depiction of the AR, including uniquely documenting an upward intrusion of strong water-vapor transport in the low-level moist southwesterly flow during the passage of frontal waves 2 through 6. A collocated 1290-MHz wind profiler showed an abrupt frontal transition from southwesterly to northerly flow below 1 km MSL coinciding with the tail-end of AR conditions. Shipborne radar and disdrometer observations in the AR uniquely captured key microphysical characteristics of shallow warm rain, convection, and deep mixed-phase precipitation. Novel observations of sea-surface fluxes in a midlatitude AR documented persistent ocean-surface evaporation and sensible-heat transfer into the ocean. The G-IV aircraft flew directly over the ship, with dropsonde and radar spatial analyses complementing the temporal depictions of the AR from the RHB. The AR characteristics varied, depending on the location of the cross section relative to the frontal waves.
In-situ marine cloud droplet number concentrations (CDNCs), cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), and CCN proxies, based on particle sizes and optical properties, are accumulated from seven field campaigns: ACTIVATE; NAAMES; CAMP2EX; ORACLES; SOCRATES; MARCUS; and CAPRICORN2. Each campaign involves aircraft measurements, ship-based measurements, or both. Measurements collected over the North and Central Atlantic, Indo-Pacific, and Southern Oceans, represent a range of clean to polluted conditions in various climate regimes. With the extensive range of environmental conditions sampled, this data collection is ideal for testing satellite remote detection methods of CDNC and CCN in marine environments. Remote measurement methods are vital to expanding the available data in these difficult-to-reach regions of the Earth and improving our understanding of aerosolcloud interactions. The data collection includes particle composition and continental tracers to identify potential contributing CCN sources. Several of these campaigns include High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) and polarimetric imaging measurements and retrievals that will be the basis for the next generation of space-based remote sensors and, thus, can be utilized as satellite surrogates.
Human activities affect the Earth’s climate through modifying the composition of the atmosphere, which then creates radiative forcing that drives climate change. The warming effect of anthropogenic greenhouse gases has been partially balanced by the cooling effect of anthropogenic aerosols. In 2020, fuel regulations abruptly reduced the emission of sulfur dioxide from international shipping by about 80% and created an inadvertent geoengineering termination shock with global impact. Here we estimate the regulation leads to a radiative forcing of +0.2±0.11Wm-2 averaged over the global ocean.The amount of radiative forcing could lead to a doubling (or more) of the warming rate in the 2020s compared with the rate since 1980 with strong spatiotemporal heterogeneity.The warming effect is consistent with the recent observed strong warming in 2023 and expected to make the 2020s anomalously warm. The forcing represents 80% to the measured increase in planetary heat uptake since 2020. The radiative forcing also has strong hemispheric contrast, which has important implications for precipitation pattern changes. Our result suggests marine cloud brightening may be a viable geoengineering method in temporarily cooling the climate that has its unique challenges due to inherent spatiotemporal heterogeneity.
Methods and apparatus are described for space charge dosimeters for extremely low power measurements of radiation in shipping containers. A method includes in situ polling a suite of passive integrating ionizing radiation sensors including reading-out dosimetric data from a first passive integrating ionizing radiation sensor and a second passive integrating ionizing radiation sensor, where the first passive integrating ionizing radiation sensor and the second passive integrating ionizing radiation sensor remain situated where the dosimetric data was integrated while reading-out. Another method includes arranging a plurality of ionizing radiation sensors in a spatially dispersed array; determining a relative position of each of the plurality of ionizing radiation sensors to define a volume of interest; collecting ionizing radiation data from at least a subset of the plurality of ionizing radiation sensors; and triggering an alarm condition when a dose level of an ionizing radiation source is calculated to exceed a threshold.
Methods and apparatus are described for space charge dosimeters for extremely low power measurements of radiation in shipping containers. A method includes insitu polling a suite of passive integrating ionizing radiation sensors including reading-out dosimetric data from a first passive integrating ionizing radiation sensor and a second passive integrating ionizing radiation sensor, where the first passive integrating ionizing radiation sensor and the second passive integrating ionizing radiation sensor remain situated where the dosimetric data was integrated while reading-out. Another method includes arranging a plurality of ionizing radiation sensors in a spatially dispersed array; determining a relative position of each of the plurality of ionizing radiation sensors to define a volume of interest; collecting ionizing radiation data from at least a subset of the plurality of ionizing radiation sensors; and triggering an alarm condition when a dose level of an ionizing radiation source is calculated to exceed a threshold.
Packaging options are evaluated for compliance with safety requirements for shipment of mixed actinide oxides packaged in a 9975 Primary Containment Vessel (PCV). Radiolytic gas generation rates, PCV internal gas pressures, and shipping windows (times to reach unacceptable gas compositions or pressures after closure of the PCV) are calculated for shipment of a 9975 PCV containing a plastic bottle filled with plutonium and uranium oxides with a selected isotopic composition. G-values for radiolytic hydrogen generation from adsorbed moisture are estimated from the results of gas generation tests for plutonium oxide and uranium oxide doped with curium-244. The radiolytic generation of hydrogen from the plastic bottle is calculated using a geometric model for alpha particle deposition in the bottle wall. The temperature of the PCV during shipment is estimated from the results of finite element heat transfer analyses.
The 9975 shipping package is used as part of the configuration for long-term storage of special nuclear materials in the K Area Complex at the Savannah River Site. The cane fiberboard overpack in the 9975 package provides thermal insulation, impact absorption and criticality control functions relevant to this application. The Savannah River National Laboratory has conducted physical, mechanical and thermal tests on aged fiberboard samples to identify degradation rates and support the development of aging models and service life predictions in a storage environment. This paper reviews the data generated to date, and preliminary models describing degradation rates of cane fiberboard in elevated temperature – elevated humidity environments.
Currently, thousands of model 9975 transportation packages are in use by the US Department of Energy (DOE); the design of which has been certified by DOE for shipment of Type B radioactive and fissile materials in accordance with Part 71, Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), or 10 CFR 71, Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Material. These transportation packages are also approved for the storage of DOE-STD-3013 containers at the Savannah River Site (SRS). As such, the 9975 has been continuously exposed to the service environment for a period of time greater than the approved transportation service life. In order to ensure the material integrity as specified in the safety basis, an extensive surveillance program is in place in K-Area Complex (KAC) to monitor the structural and thermal properties of the fiberboard of the 9975 shipping packages. The surveillance approach uses a combination of Non-Destructive Examination (NDE) field surveillance and Destructive Examination (DE) lab testing to validate the 9975 performance assumptions. The fiberboard in the 9975 is credited with thermal insulation, criticality control and resistance to crushing. During surveillance monitoring in KAC, an increased axial gap of the fiberboard was discovered on selected items packaged at Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS). Many of these packages were later found to contain excess moisture. Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) testing has resulted in a better understanding of the relationship between the fiberboard moisture level and compaction of the fiberboard under storage conditions and during transport. In laboratory testing, the higher moisture content has been shown to correspond to higher total compaction of fiberboard material and compaction rate. The fiberboard height is reduced by compression of the layers. This change is observed directly in the axial gap between the flange and the air shield. The axial gap measurement is made during the pre-use inspection or during the annual recertification process and is a screening measurement for changes in the fiberboard.
Destructive testing of an ES-3100 Shipping Container was completed by the Packaging Technology and Pressurized Systems organization within the Savannah River National Laboratory in order to qualify the ES-3100 as a candidate storage and transport package for applications at various facilities at the Savannah River Site. The testing consisted of the detonation of three explosive charges at separate locations on a single ES-3100. The locations for the placement were chosen based the design of the ES-3100 as well as the most likely places for the package to incur damage as a result of the detonation. The testing was completed at an offsite location, which raised challenges as well as allowed for development of new partnerships for this testing and for potential future testing. The results of the testing, the methods used to complete the testing, and similar, potential future work will be discussed.
This work represents the initial phase of an overall effort to reduce the analytical burdens and increase flexibility of the K-Area Complex which provides stewardship of special nuclear materials. A hand calculation method is being extended to apply to large arrays of highly heterogeneous shipping packages. This method has the potential to quickly determine the impact of perturbations on the array.
Business intelligence problems are particularly challenging due to the use of large volume and high velocity data in attempts to model and explain complex underlying phenomena. Incremental machine learning based approaches for summarizing trends and identifying anomalous behavior are often desirable in such conditions to assist domain experts in characterizing their data. The overall goal of this research is to develop a machine learning algorithm that enables predictive analysis on streaming data, detects changes and anomalies in the data, and can evolve based on the dynamic behavior of the data. Commercial shipping transaction data for the U.S. is used to develop and test a Naïve Bayes model that classifies several companies into lines of businesses and demonstrates an ability to predict when the behavior of these companies changes by venturing into other lines of businesses.
Contact Handled-Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC) conversion factors are typically used as fissile gram equivalent (FGE) values in systems such as transuranic waste at the Savannah River Site (SRS). Publicly available technical justifications for CH-TRAMPAC conversion factors are lacking. Special considerations are needed to justify the use of the CH-TRAMPAC conversion factor for 235 U to 239 Pu, over the full range of Pu and U densities for Type A shipping packages in the K-Area Complex (KAC) at SRS. It is important to understand the limitations and the area of applicability for using these conversion factors.
A unified modeling method applicable to the processing, shipping, and storage of spent nuclear fuel and sludge has been incrementally developed, validated, and applied over a period of about 15 years at the US DOE Hanford site. The software, FATE{sup TM}, provides a consistent framework for a wide dynamic range of common DOE and commercial fuel and waste applications. It has been used during the design phase, for safety and licensing calculations, and offers a graded approach to complex modeling problems encountered at DOE facilities and abroad (e.g., Sellafield). FATE has also been used for commercial power plant evaluations including reactor building fire modeling for fire PRA, evaluation of hydrogen release, transport, and flammability for post-Fukushima vulnerability assessment, and drying of commercial oxide fuel. FATE comprises an integrated set of models for fluid flow, aerosol and contamination release, transport, and deposition, thermal response including chemical reactions, and evaluation of fire and explosion hazards. It is one of few software tools that combine both source term and thermal-hydraulic capability. Practical examples are described below, with consideration of appropriate model complexity and validation. (authors)
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DoE's) Used Fuel Disposition Campaign (UFDC), in collaboration with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the commercial nuclear industry have initiated a group of projects to obtain data to support the enhancement of the technical bases for the extended storage and transportation of high-burnup (HBU) (>45 GWd/MTU) spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Under this overall effort, a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission-licensed storage cask was loaded with Thirty-Two (32) HBU SNF assemblies. The cask was modified to allow radial and axial temperature profiles to be measured using thermocouple lances inserted through the lid. Twenty-five (25) rods from similar assemblies of similar claddings, in-reactor placement, and burnup histories (herein called 'sister rods') have been shipped from the North Anna Nuclear Power Plant and are currently being nondestructively tested at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). To meet UFD's research objectives, testing on ten (10) of these rods is required to be performed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Although the twenty-five rods were originally received at ORNL in the 10-160B, the PNNL facility that would need to receive the ten (10) rods did not have an active history with using the 10-160B. This paper first identifies and summarizes various criteria and evaluations used in helping to select which package will be used for the shipment of the ten (10) sister rods to PNNL (i.e., Bases on why the NACLWT was chosen). With the shipment scheduled to be complete, identified potential concerns, issues, lessons learned, and transportation summary documents were studied (post-shipment). The adequacy of the criteria and evaluations used to choose the NAC-LWT were accessed to determine their adequacy. The results show the criteria were adequate. However, it was noted that DOE Order 460.2A, DOE M 460.2-1A, and DOE G 460.2-1 have differences in the terminology and scope, resulting in clarity issues and differences in regulatory interpretation. Since one-of-a kind spent fuel shipments are uncommon, the topic will be significant interest to people who work in radioactive material packaging and transportation. (authors)
SRNL has been chartered by DOE Environmental Management (DOE-EM) to develop a new Type B shipping package for Small Gram Quantities (SGQ) of radioactive material. Design a containment vessel (CV) closure device that will reduce the operation time and improve the ease-of- use for Operations Personnel. The Containment Vessel (CV) includes a closure lid cap with spring shaft and locking tabs, multiple disc springs, and vessel with integral locking ring. The CV is assembled by aligning the tabs on the lid cap with the openings in the locking ring. Next, the lid cap is pushed down to compress the disc springs. Finally, the lid is rotated 45-degrees to locking location. When released, the tabs are secured against the locking ring. Disc springs (e.g. Belleville washers, coned-disc springs, Belleville spring, etc.) exert axial loads on the mating parts when compressed. The orientation of the disc springs can be configured to change the deflection and axial loads for specific designs. In addition to securing the lid cap to the vessel, the compressed disc springs can be used to apply a load to a containment seal (e.g. o-ring). A prototype of the CV closure was 3D printed to evaluate the locking mechanism design and functionality. A test plan will be developed to evaluate the mechanical properties (i.e. compression forces) and functionality of the CV closure design.
Contact Handled-Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC) conversion factors are typically used as fissile gram equivalent (FGE) values in systems such as transuranic waste at the Savannah River Site (SRS). Publicly available technical justifications for CH-TRAMPAC conversion factors are lacking. Special considerations are needed to justify the use of the CH-TRAMPAC conversion factor for {sup 235}U to {sup 239}Pu, over the full range of Pu and U densities for Type A shipping packages in the K-Area Complex (KAC) at SRS. It is important to understand the limitations and the area of applicability for using these conversion factors.
Paper targets SPEEDAM 2024 (https://www.speedam.org). The paper provides details of a model predictive control designed to operate a four-zone medium-voltage AC/DC electric ship.